Coin-controlled apparatus.



F. MAGIDSON. 00m CONTROLLED APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 25, 1907- Patented Apr. 13, 1909.

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F. MAGIDSON. com CONTROLLED APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED APR. 25, 1907. 91 8,455, Patented Apr. 13, 1909.

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W/[WWW P. MAGIDSON. COIN CONTROLLED APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED APR. 25, 1907.

91 8,455. Patented Apr. 13, 1909.

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26 12 13:6 J o o 0 4 26 F5 0 5'5 .11 v A O o 20 o :gj 3a :39 w aw 0 0 a2 2a o O 2.9! o O UNITED s ArEs PATENT our? FRANK MAGIDSON, OF IRWIN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WESTMORELAND AUTOMATIC MACHINE COMPANY, OF IRWIN, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

COIN-CONTROLLED APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented A ril is, 1909.

Application filed April 25, 1907. Serial No. 370,241.

"To all whom it may concern! moreland and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coin-Controlled Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of coin-controlled apparatus wherein the movement of the mechanism is controlled by an electric circuit which is closed and. opened by the coin or check inserted by the user of the machine.

it has been proposed heretofore, in connection with various types of coin-controlled machines, to utilize the coin for closing the circuit while the machine is in operation, with means operating automatically to release the coin at a given time or when the machine has completed its operation.

One object of the'present invention is to provide a coin-closed circuit which is separate and distinct from the motor circuit, and which is used only for efiecting the closing of the motor circuit, with means, preferably operated by the motor itself, for opening the motor circuitand stopping the machine. With the apparatus thus arranged, the heavy motor circuit is not interrupted nor involved in any way in the immediate operation of the coin mechanism, thereby avoiding many difficulties and dangers of disorder incident to the placing of such mechanism in the main circuit. Furthermore, a much lighter current may be utilized in the starting circuit, thus obviating the heavy arcing at the coin contacts and consequent mutilation ofthe coin/ Also, with the present improvement, the starting circuit is closed only momentarily, the coin being almost immediately released either for again closing the circuit or for passage to the coin receptacle, whereas, with the coin directly controlling the main circuit, it must remain in circuit closing position all the while the machine is in operation.

A. fu'rther object of the invention is to provide improved means for securing two operations of amachine for each coin inserted. A double operation may be desirable in various connections,.the particular application thereof here in *iew being an automatic shoe polishing machine, wherein each shoe is separately polished.

In the accompanying drawin s, Figure l is an interior front elevation of the improved mechanism, part of the removable front of the casing being shown. Fig. 2 is an interior side view on line 22 of Fig.1, and Fig. 3 is a similar view on line 33 of the same figure. Fig. 4. is a rear elevation of the coin-manipulating mechanism and the magnet operated thereby, and Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the same. Figs. 6 and 7 are detail views, illustrating the portion of the starting circuit which is opened and closed hy the removable front of the casing. Figs. 8, 9, and 10 are front elevations of the coin-manipulating mechanism, the front of the coin passage being removed. Figs. 11 and 12 are sectional views taken on lines l111 and 12-12, respectively, of Fig. 8. Fig. 13 is a detail view of the coin-controlling mechanism, the magnet, the switch in the motor circuit, and the device for opening the switch, the latter being shown open in dotted lines.

The improved mechanism is here shown mounted in an upright casing provided with a removablefront- 3. *An electric motor e is shown in the upper portion of the casing connected by belt 5 with the lowermost shaft 6 of a train of speed-reducing gearing 7, of which shaft 8 is the uppermost and slowest, being utilized for timing the operation of the machine, said shaft being provided, in the presentembodiment of the invention, with means for breaking the motor circuit, as will presently appear. Obviously, the train of gearing may be either extended or contracted according to the speed to be imparted to the governor shaft. It is within the scope of the invention to provide a motor-actuating controlling or timing device ofany suitable construction, and hence the invention is not restricted to the train of gearing adaptation here shown. lhe train of gearing may be conveniently supported by frame 9 projecting frontwardly from the rear of easing 3. Shaft- 6 is shown provided with a sprocket wheel 10 to which the mechanism to be propelled may be connected by a drive chain, or the machine to be actuated may be operatively connected to the motor mechanism in any suitable manner.

The motor circuit 11 may extend from any suitable source of electrical energy, and in- 'vided with the terposed in this circuit is switch 12 propivoted blade 13 and the usual blade contacts 14, with a spring 15 holding the blade normally in engagement with the contacts. Pivoted between'its ends to the lower extremity of blade 13 is the latch-like device 16, which is in the plane of the rotatable finger 17 secured to the insulated collar 18 on shaft 8. Finger 17 is adapted to engage the notched extremity 16 of latch 16 and move the same longitudinally and with it blade 13 from ,the full to the dotted line position of lfig. 13, thus breaking the motor circuit and stopping the machine, with finger 17 and latch 16 engaging and holding blade 13 out of the circuit against the pressure of spring 15, as shown in Fig. 3. The finger-engaged end of latch 16 is heavier than its opposite end,

so that when-themechanism is in motionand finger 17 making its revolution, the latch-end 16 depends into the path of the finger and in position to be engaged when the finger reaches it. The mechanism thus arranged provides for stopping the motor each time shaft 8 and finger 17 make a coniplete revolution for automatically stopping the motor.

I will now describe the mechanism forstarting the motor, this being accomplished by'disengaging latch 16 from finger 17 so that the switch blade may be moved by spring 15 into circuit closing position.

19 is an ordinary bell magnet having its hammer-carrying armature 20 overhanging the end ot latch 16, with a coin-controlled circuit operating to energize the magnet, whereupon the magnet armature 20 depresses the outer end of latch 16 and disengages its inner end from the holding finger 17 permitting the switch to close. Magnet 19 is included in what I term the starting circuit, which may have its-source in battery 21, here shown positioned in the upper portion of casing 3. The circuit extending from the battery tothe magnet is inter rupted by the coin passage which I will now describe in connection with the coin manipu-.

lating parts. And the circuit is also preferably interrupted by normally open pushbutton switch 22 located in front 3 of the casing. v

23 indicates the coin inlet or slot carried by casing-front 3 which connects with coinchute 2 1, leading to the upper end of casing 25, formed of insulating material and provided with the vertical coin-passage 26. Extending from the lower end of this passage is chute 24' to the coin receptacle 27, which may belocated within casing 3. n1- tersecting one edge of passage-26 are the vertically separated fixed contacts 28 and 29 which are connected by bar 30, and this bar is electricali 7 connected at 31 with one A e pole of magnet 19. The edge of passage 26 opposite said contacts is slotted vertically, and pivoted therein between their ends are the vertically swinging coin-holding contact fingers 28 and 29 which cooperate with contacts 28 and 29 for closing the circuit through the coin Above and below finger 28 are similar fingers 33 and 3e, and

the outer ends of all of these fingers arepivotally connected to the vertically mov-' able bar 25, with spring 35 resisting the upward movement of the bar. One of the terminals of battery circuit 36 is connected to the upper end of bar 35, as indicated at 37, while the other terminal of said circuit is connected to the magnet, as indicated When bar 35 is in lowered position, fingers 28" and 29 are projected into passage 26 and operate to stop the coin either in the upper circuit-closing position, as indicated in Fig.

'8, or in lower position, as in Fig. 10. When the bar disengaging finger 34, as shown. v

Theuppermost finger 33 operates to hold a coin in exactly the same way as finger 3e, and is provided for preventing the machine from clogging in case two coins are inserted at once, in which event finger 33 will engage and prevent the inactive coin from so following the active coin as to interfere with the operation of the latter. For raising bar 35, a vertically swinging arm 33 is projected therebeneath, said arm extending over shaft 8, and carried by the latter is the pin orproj'ection 39 which turns upward beneathand raises arm 38 and lifts bar 35 for releasing the coin. Projection 39 may also operate to depress a swinging arm 40 for operating a register 41 for indicating the number of times the machine is operated. The movement of arms 38 and 40 may be resisted by spring 40.

The coin-insertion slot and push-button switch are preferably located in front 3 or the machine, and the latter is removable for giving ready access to the mechanism within.

Thus, the front the casing may fore the motor will start. Upon pressing the smear button, the starting or battery circuit is closed and the movement of magnet-armature turns and releases latch 16 from holding finger 17 thus closing the motor switch, and the motor mechanism continues in operation until the switch is a ain opened upon the complete rotation of ger 17 as before described. The rotation ofshaft 8 raises the arm 38 and with it bar into the position shown in Fig. 9, thus releasing a com from its. upper circuit-closing position and permitting it to drop into engagement with the intermediate holding finger 34. As soon as the arm 38 and bar 35 lower, the coin is released from this intermediate position and dro s into the lower circuit closing position, as 1n Fig. 10, and ready' for another complete closing of the starting circuit 36, for the second operation of the machine to be accomplished by one and the same coin. The

second operation of the machine raises bar 35 the second time and releases the coin from the position shown in Fig. 10 and permits it to pass to the coin receptacle.

By interrupting the starting circuit at the push button, it not-only gives the operator an opportunity to start the machine at a de sired instant without regard to when" the coin is inserted, but also serves to place the battery circuit in operation only momentarily or while the push-button is being pressed, such momentary operationbeing all that is necessary for releasing the motor switch. And when the apparatus is used for obtaining two operations from the same com, as in an automatic shoe polishing machine, the second 0 erationdoes not begin, even though the C0111 is in circuit-closing position, until the button is pressed, thus affording the operator all the tlme that he may desire for removing one foot from the polishing mechanism and inserting the other foot. I claim: I

LThecombination of mechanism to be operated, a starting circuit, means actuated by the latter when closed to start said mechanism, a coin passageinterrupting. the circuit and having'a plurality of successively acting pairs of coin=engaging terminals, means controlling the advance of a coin from one set of terminals to another set, and a manually operated switch in said circuit. 2. In a repeatmg coin-operated machine, the combination of mechanism to be operated, a normally open electric circuit having a plurality of sets of coin-bridged terminals and adapted to close through any set when bridged by a "coin, manually operated switch mechanism cotiperatin with the coinbridged terminals to'cose the circuit, and means foradvancing a coin from one set of terminals to another set.

in a repeating coin-operated machine,

the combination of an operating electric circuit, a coin passageway, a plurality of sets of coin-bridged terminals in the passageway with said circuit connected thereto and adapted to close through any set when bridged by a coin, a manually operated switch in the circuit, and means actuated upon the full closing of the circuit for advancing the coin from one set of terminals to another set.

4. The combination of a motor, a coin passageway, a plurality of sets of successively operating coin-bridged terminals in the passageway, an electric circuit adapted to close through any set of said terminals when connected by a coin, means operated by the motor for releasing a coin from one set of terminals to another set, a manually operated switch in said circuit, electrically operated motor-starting means actuated when the circuit is fully closed, and motor stopping means.

5. The combination of a motor, a coin passageway, a plurality of sets of successively operating coin-bridged terminals in the passageway, an electric circuit adapted to close through any set of said terminals when connected by a coin, electrically operated means actuated when the circuit is fully closed for advancing a coin from one set of terminals to another set, a normally open manually-operated switch in said circuit, electrically operated motor-starting means actuated when the circuit is fully closed, and automatically operating motor-stopping means.

6. The combination of a. motor, a device for starting and stopping the motor, means actuated by the motor for operating said device to stop-the motor, a starting circuit, a device in the starting circuit for operating the first mentioned device to start the motor, a coin passage interrupting the starting circuit, the latter having a succession of coinengaging contacts in the passage, means for interrupting the movement of a coin past said contacts, and a normally open manually operated switch in the starting circuit.

7. The combination of a motor, a device for starting and stopping the motor, means actuated by the motor for operating said device to stop the motor, a starting circuit, a I

for controlling the movement of a coin past said contacts, and a normally open manually operated switch in the starting circuit.

8. The combination of anelectric motor and circuit therefor, a switch in the circuit, a switclroperating 'circuit separate and distinct from the motor circuit, a coin passage interrupting the switchoperating circuit and having a succession of coin-engaging contacts, means actuated by the motor for controlling the movement of a coin past said contacts, and a normally open manually operated switch in said switch-operating circuit.

9, The combination of an electric motor and motor circuit, a self-closing switch in thecireuit, a switch opening and holding device actuated by the motor for detachably connecting with the switch-blade and opening the latter and holding it open,-and coinactuated means for breaking said detachable connection.

10. The combination of an electric motor and motor circuit, a self-closing switch in the motor circuit, a latch pivoted to the switch, a member adapted to be rotated by the motor and engage the latch for opening the switch, and coin-actuated means for disgngaging the latch from said rotating mem- 11. The combination of an electric mo-c tor andmotor circuit, a self-closing switch in the circuit, a latch pivoted to the switchblade, a membe rotated by the motor for engaging the Pitch and opening the switch blade, a starting circuit, a magnet energized by the starting circuit with the magnet of fixed contacts in one side of the passage,

a correspon ding succession of individually pivoted coin-holding contacts in the opposite side of the passage, said contacts being pivoted between their ends with their inner end s normally projected into coin-holding position, and an actuating member to which the outer ends of the pivoted contacts are connected.

I 13. In com controlled apparatus, the combination of an electric c1rcu1t, a coin passage interrupting the circuit, a succession of fixed contact points forthe circuit in one s de of the passage, a corresponding succession of individually pivoted contacts-in the opposite side of the .passage and normally projecting in coin-holding position, a pivoted coin-holding member arranged between adjacent pivoted contacts and operating to hold a com when released by one contact era-see and before it engages the next contact, and an operating member to which said contacts and the intern'iediate member are connected.

. 14:. In coin controlled apparatus, the combination of an electric circuit, a coin pas sage interrupting the circuit, a succession of fixed terminals for the circuit in one side of the passage, a corresponding succession of pivoted coin-holding contacts in the opposite side of the passage, a pivoted coinholding member arranged intermediate the pivoted contacts, a bar to which the contacts and the said member are separately pivoted, and means for operating the bar.

15. In coin controlled apparatus, the combination of an electriccircuit, a coin chute interruptin the circuit, a series of pairs of coin-connected contacts for said circuit with- 111 the passage, each pair consisting of a sively operating coin-holding fingers pivoted inthe opposite side of thecoin passage with some of said fingers opposite the first mentioned contacts and coacting therewith and the coin to close the circuit, a bar to which all of said pivoted fingers are pivoted, and means for operating the bar. 1

17. In coin controlled apparatus,'the combination of mechanism to be operated, an electric circuit, a coin passage interrupting the circuit, a plurality; of'pairs of coin connected contacts operating successively to hold and release a coin, each of said pairs consisting of a fixed contact and an individually pivoted contact, and a device actuated by the mechanism to be operated for oscillating the individuallypivoted contacts.

18. In coin controlled apparatus, the combination of mechanism to be operated, an electric circuit, means for operatively connecting the circuit and the mechanism to be actuated, a coin passage interrupting the circuit, aseries of coin contacts in one side.

the coin with theffirst mentioned contacts,

a spring-held bar to which the pivoted fingers are connected, an oscillatingarm for moving the .bar in opposition to its spring, and means actuated by themechanism to be operated for oscillating said-arm.

19. In coin controlled apparatus,t e; com

train of gearing geared to the motor, a shaft In testimony whereof I afix my signabination of an electric motor and motor cirwhen energized by the startingcircuit to cuit, a switch in the circuit, a speed-reduclng close the switch.

rotated by the slow end of the train, a proture in presence of two witnesses; jection on said shaft operating toopen the FRANK MAGIDSON. switch, a starting circuit, a coin passage Witnesses: interrupting the circuit and having coin- O, W, M G E engaging contacts, and a device adapted F. M. RAINEY. 

